Letters

Feel for the veterans: I happen to like Michael Moore's work and have debated with many of my friends over the editing of his documentaries ("George of the Bungle," by Gregory Weinkauf, June 24). There is one thing we do agree on and Mr. Moore himself has said, that this is his opinion. We all have a point of view, but facts are facts, and all of the information that was used for this movie is true. What this movie did for me was to put a face on war. I cringed when watching how the military did their recruiting in the poorest sections of our cities and towns because these kids are easier to sign on than children from more affluent families. I am the daughter of a war veteran; my father fought in Korea and two tours in Vietnam, but his request for a military funeral never happened because no one from the armed forces showed up, and it was not because of a lack of arrangements. I find it ironic how many Americans are so patriotic when they send our fathers, brothers, sisters and children off to fight for freedom in other countries when our own freedoms in the good ol' U.S.A. are systematically being taken away. I feel for the new veterans of Iraq; I wonder about their future. Will we take care of them when they need us, or will we treat them like the other veterans of foreign wars in the United States, like my father, Sergeant Cecil G. Nall, an Agent Orange victim?

Cecilia NallDallas

Can't stop the truth: When Bill O'Reilly called Michael Moore a propagandist, I envisioned Pee Wee Herman saying "I know you are, but what am I?" O'Reilly wants us to think there are factual discrepancies between Fahrenheit 9/11 and the 9-11 Commission, as well as an "evolution" in Moore's claims regarding the film. O'Reilly is far from the truth. I know because I saw the film. He also states that it would be "nonsense" to spend $9 to see the film. No doubt, there is a desperate scramble to stop people from seeing the film.

After all, it is much harder to lead people over a cliff with their eyes open! The attacks on Moore and attempts to keep people from the film, as opposed to dealing with the issues, should raise a red flag for Americans. We patriots of a free country deserve to hear all sides of an issue before drawing our conclusions. We are not incapable of understanding, nor unable to discern fact from opinion, nor should we allow ourselves to be led blindly! Knowledge is power, and it is time we become indignant at those who attempt to rob us of it!

Sandra TysonDenton

Cannon fodder: On opening weekend I went to see Fahrenheit 9/11 and it was a sell-out. In fact, the only show not sold out in advance was the latest running on Friday night. Everyone should see this movie and make up his/her own mind. Moore's movie raises difficult questions that deserve our attention as we move toward the November elections, and as U.S. soldiers continue to die in Iraq.

The right-wing critics of Fahrenheit 9/11 seem more obsessed with attacking Michael Moore than in engaging the arguments he makes in his film. The facts that serve as the basis for Moore's critique have yet to be disputed. Many exaggerations, denials and outright lies have been told by Bush and his cronies about Iraq and 9-11. By trying to censure the movie's showing the critics have made it all the more popular.

Unfortunately, the people who need to see the movie the most are the least likely to watch it. Those who blindly follow Bush's lead may see things in a different light after viewing Fahrenheit 9/11. Young people, especially, should see this movie because if Bush is re-elected, there is a considerable possibility that the draft will be reinstated to provide cannon fodder for an unjust, unneeded and unpopular foreign war. Hostilities will go on for a long time after so-called sovereignty was handed off to the puppet government in Iraq.

Russ BroadwaySacramento, California

New, Improved Laura Miller

I was betrayed: I'm gratified to see yet another Dallas Observer columnist write yet another superb column about Miller's new "makeover" ("Stepford Mayor," by Jim Schutze, July 1). Please don't stop. It is extremely important that more Dallas residents become aware of the "new and improved" Laura Miller. Many of us who voted for her honestly believed she was the answer to big corporations raping Dallas taxpayers. That was the sole reason we voted for her.

Now that the painful truth about Mayor Miller is becoming apparent, especially to those of us who voted for her, it is important to make one thing clear: We have been cruelly betrayed. We have been deceived. The only question that remains is whether this was her intention all along, going as far back as her Observer days, or is it that she was simply bought out.

At the very least, she owes us an explanation, in her own words, as to why she has suddenly switched sides.

Reuben L. Owens Dallas

Good ol' gal: I was duped...I voted for Laura Miller the first time, but when she pressed the sheets with the Belo boys, I knew I had been had...

Barry McDanielVia e-mail

Phone home: While working in commercial real estate, I e-mailed Miller twice for a meeting. I specialized in central business districts and had done extensive research on CBDs in the United States. Several out-of-town investors and developers were looking at Dallas, but nothing came of it because of the non-response of our leaders. For Dallas being one of the 10 largest cities in the United States, downtown Dallas is a sad site.